try using jello pudding mix in the recipe instead of chocolate cocoa. It makes them tighter and not so gooey.

This recipe was a favorite of our families, I 60 and my mom got the recipe from a friend from Missouri. My Dad saw my Mom making them and said they looked like Cow Patties, it stuck and they have always been Cow Patties to all of us.

MMMMM..Just like Mom use to make. I just made these for my church bake sale .... I forgot how good these are and how easy they are to make.. My husband loves these with chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Great frozen as well, I always use about a cup of extra oatmeal (to make them seem healthier) and I've tried melting some fudge on top, which was a really good idea.

I love these cookies my mother made them now me & my kids are learning . my husbands great Aunt made them and left out the cocoa just peanut butter for his great uncle,( when he need the extra fiber.) DR orders!!! honest!!!

My mother & I have been making these for years. Never use soft butter to make stick works best. I make 5 batches for the foot ball team to have after the away game! They were gone long before it was time to leave for the game.

I'm 13 and I love to cook! These are a great starter for kids. When I was baby sitting, I used this as an activity. The kids loved them! They disapear almost right before your eyes!

My son is allergic to peanuts so I substituted almond butter insted it turned out great and is a wonderful treat for him.

We make this with coconut instead of peanut butter, and it works wonderfully. Something to also perhaps help the allergic to peanuts folks. I have added chopped pecans, just a bit different and tasty too!

My son is allergic to milk so I just substituted water in place of the milk & it worked well most of the time... It was a wonderful treat for him as he could not eat may things.

I just made this recipe for my niece who is allergic to gluten and all milk and soy products. I substituted coconut oil for the butter and grated pear (peeled and cored) for the milk. I also used whole (gluten-free) oats and it worked great! I plan to try adding a few chopped pecans in the next batch. They disappeared faster than anything I have ever made for her!

My daughter has severe peanut allergies. We love this recipe and use SunButter (made from sunflower seeds) instead of peanut butter. Mmmmm-mmmmm good! It's a yummy snack which she loves to help me make!

We discovered these when a boy at Strong Elementary School told my sister Sally that his mother boiled cookies. She told him there was no such thing so he brought her some along with the recipe. This was in the late 50s.
I have used several variations. I have always used old-fashioned oats and they work fine. I've added chocolate chips and they were wonderful, made them more creamy. I've used dark chocolate cocoa and I've used soynut butter (my granddaughter is allergic to peanuts). I've also added coconut and pecans. I haven't found anything yet that will make these cookies taste bad. It is the favorite cookie of my daughter and all three of my sons.
My only problem is timing. Sometimes they're too soft and sometimes too hard. It's difficult to get the time just right.

My kids are allergic to peanut butter but I substitute it with sunbutter (sunflower butter) and my kids LOVE it!!

Co-worker with peanut allergy. Left out pb and cocoa. Added 1 box butterscotch pudding (dry). Added handful chocolate chips at the end. I poured into 9x13 pan let cool and cut.

My little girl is allergic to peanut butter, so we use sun-butter (sunflower seed butter) instead. I even think it's better!

I became allergic to nuts some years back and these cookies are what I miss the most. However, I found some sunflower seed butter in the grocery the other day and decided to try the recipe with that in place of peanut butter.

Holey Moley, They are so good! The sunflower seeds have a very nutty taste and turned out great. One tip on the peanut butter. The all natural nut butters have a lot of oil and you want to decrease the butter used by about 1/8 (1Tbsp.) stick. Too much fat and they might not set up. I used to use plain old peanut butter and it worked better than the über natural kind.

Loved it, only I substituted milk with chocolate almond milk the little girl I nanny for is allergic to milk, boy she really enjoyed these cookies, thank you for sharing.

I am 51 and have made these since I was a young teenager. We were very poor and had surplus food from the government and this recipe was in a surplus food cookbook. About 20 or so years ago I started substituting 1/2 a 12 oz. bag of semi sweet chocolate chips for the cocoa. They are fudgier tasting and always harden for me. I have had a version of this made with brown sugar and no cocoa. Also my friends husband is allergic to peanut butter so they leave it out and they said it was still good.

I only used 1 cup of sugar, no peanut or other nuts because of daughter's allergies and some coconut. Instead of cocoa powder I broke a few squares of dark chocolate up and added around 2.5 cups of oats. It's still very sweet for our taste. I think UK tastes are not as sweet as US ones...still my daughter LOVES it. =)

Gluten free - use GF Oats
Dairy free - use coconut oil and coconut milk
Peanut free - use sun butter or almond butter
I love how easy it is to make allergy-free treats for my favorite friends :)

i am going to make this a "irish" recipe and replace the milk with irish cream!

How did the Irish cream substitute for the milk? Sounds like just what I'm looking for! Did it turn out okay?

I used to make these as a kid w/ my Grandma's, but hadn't made them in forever. Tried them tonight w/ Splenda and was seriously not impressed! Made another small batch with sugar and they were much better, but it must have been too humid, because they're still soft and gooey several hours later. Sure taste good though!!

My mom had made these forever and I always eat them hot in a big blob instead of dollops, anyways they are great with fresh ground almond butter as a healthier alternative to peanut butter and to try a different taste to a great recipe!!

this was my favorite cookie as a kid..i never had the recipe..thanks cooks.com

Joseph,

You're welcome - It's one of our favorites, too! It's fun to see all the variations.

-- CM

We call these Aunt Joan Macarroons in our family. I've substituted peppermint extract for vanilla in the past - for mint/choco cookies. Also - raisins are a nice addition. Best of all though is to use a really nice chocolate like Merckens from King Arthur Flour -- that makes it the best!

My husband & all his friends loved these!! I've made two batches in two days...& they're still asking for more!! Thanks!!

My recipe calls to heat until it bubbles around the edge of the pan. YUM!